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Running Start enrollment has doubled in two years at Big Bend Community College and now accounts for more than 15 percent of BBCC’s student headcount, according to enrollment numbers posted by the college.

There are 352 Running Start students attending BBCC this winter and 357 attended last fall. That’s more than double the 172 Running Start students at BBCC in winter of 2013.

The Running Start program allows high school juniors and seniors to attend community college tuition-free while they earn high school graduation credits and college credits at the same time. In 2014, 41 BBCC Running Start students earned a high school diploma and an associate degree at BBCC.

College officials think a change in requirements for entering the program contributed to the increase. Students formerly had to place at college level in both math and English to enroll in Running Start. The new requirement allows students passing one of those placement tests to enter the program.

The "Start the Next Quarter" workshops will be held in the BBCC library on January 30th, February 13th and 27th, and March 13th.

“Some students are not prepared or are unaware of the process to get started,” said Monica Medrano, Workforce Education Service Coordinator at BBCC.

Medrano said the ‘getting started’ workshops are designed to help potential students understand the process and prepare them to enroll.

The workshops provide students with information about admissions, financial aid, other funding opportunities, applications, placement testing, new student orientation, and a review of programs of study available at Big Bend.

As companies register, their names and links to their websites will be posted on the job and career fair web page (www.bigbend.edu/jobfair). Job seekers can learn in advance which employers will be attending and can research the employers from their websites.

Free workshops will include panel discussions by local employers and educators about how to find jobs in specific areas, like manufacturing and health care.

Attendance by job seekers has been 1,200 to 1,800 in recent years, according to college records.

The 14th annual Ryan Floch Memorial Basketball Games will be held January 3rd at Big Bend Community College.

The BBCC women host the Alumni at 2:00 p.m., and the men’s team will host an Alumni team at 3:45 p.m.

Local high school teams also will compete in BBCC’s gym Saturday. Odessa-Harrington’s Titans will be the home team against Wilbur-Creston. The boys’ game starts at 5:30 p.m. and the girls wrap up the memorial evening starting at 7:00 p.m.

All gate receipts and donations from these games will go to the Ryan Floch Memorial Scholarship to support student athletes graduating from Class B high schools in Eastern Washington.

Ryan Floch was a basketball standout at Odessa High School. He played for BBCC from 1999 to 2001. Ryan and his brother Drew—a BBCC Foundation scholarship recipient—died with their grandfather and a cousin in a boating accident.

Donations also are accepted in Drew Floch’s name for the BBCC Foundation Scholarship awarded each year to a graduate of Odessa High School.

Along with providing one group of fans additional bragging rights, donors will have a chance to win one of two $500 Visa Gift cards. INBC's Marketing Communication Officer, Elizabeth Giles, said as of Friday, Husky fans led by 100 donations, but the Cougs still have plenty of opportunities to catch up this week.

Gonzaga's team was selected as one of five schools given the chance to move on to the competition's national finals via a social media competition. The other teams competing in this competition are Villanova University, University of Texas, University of Connecticut, and University of Arizona.

Each of the teams had two days to post a video to the PWC Facebook page. At the end of the week, the video with the most votes will move on to the national finals competition in New York City.